District Factor Or Caste Consideration? Know The Reasons Behind Selection Of Ministers

Bhubaneswar: At least 13 districts would go unrepresented in the new 21-member BJD ministry that would be sworn in here on Wednesday.

Going by the list of ministers released by Raj Bhawan, the districts of Angul, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Jajpur, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Sambalpur and Sundargarh would have no minister.

Sources said the six ministers who have been retained, Bhatli MLA Sushant Singh (Bargarh district), Mahanga MLA Pratap Jena (Cuttack district), Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Ashok Chandra Panda (Khurda district), Sonepur MLA Niranjan Pujari (Subarnapur district), Bhanjanagar MLA Bikram Keshari Arukha (Ganjam district) and Kamakhyanagar MLA Prafulla Mallick (Dhenkanal district), performed well in the elections and also gave a good account of themselves in the previous dispensation. Besides, the district factor went in their favour.

The district consideration seemingly has benefitted some of the newcomers like Titlagarh MLA Tukuni Sahoo (Bolangir), Junagarh MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra (Kalahandi), Jharsuguda MLA Nabakishore Das (Jharsuguda), Kotpad MLA Padmini Dian (Koraput), Simulia MLA Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi (Balasore), Nimapada MLA Samir Das (Puri), Balikuda-Erasama MLA Raghunandan Das (Jagatsinghpur), Bissam-Cuttack MLA Jagannath Saraka (Rayagada, ST), Telkoi MLA Premananda Nayak (Keonjhar) and Kakatpur MLA Tusharkanti Behera (Puri).

Similarly, comeback men Ranendra Pratap Swain (Cuttack), Padmanabha Behera (Subarnapur), Arun Sahoo (Nayagarh)   and Sudam Marandi (Mayurbhanj, ST) have berths in the ministry.

Consequently, 17 districts have found representation. “Some have made it because of the district as well as parliamentary constituency considerations. For example, Pratap Jena represents Cuttack district and his constituency is part of Kendrapara Lok Sabha segment, where BJD did well. Similarly, Kotpad MLA Padmini Dian (ST) represents Koraput district but her constituency is part of Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat,” a party source pointed out. Dian, a first-timer, apparently got the nod ahead of her brother and Nabarangpur MLA Manohar Randhari because of the woman factor, the source added.

Singh seemingly was rewarded for ensuring Naveen’s overwhelming victory in Bijepur and the party’s good show in Bargarh district while Panda has managed to comfortably retain his turf. Niranjan Pujari and Padmanabha Behera (SC) have protected the BJD fortress in Subarnapur district with the latter also playing his part in his native Kandhamal district.

Apart from Dian, Tukuni Sahoo would be the other woman in the ministry. Naba Kishore Das, who quit Congress and joined BJD ahead of the polls, and Tusharkanti Behera (SC), who declined BJP ticket and entered BJD, have been rewarded for being turncoats. Further, the defeat of Maheswar Mohanty and Sanjaya Dasburma has apparently helped Samir Das make his debut as minister while Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi and Premananda Nayak have been favoured over their district seniors Anant Das and Badri Narayan Patra.

Raghunandan Das has seemingly been rewarded for beating BJD renegade and BJP candidate Damodar Rout in Balikuda-Erasama.

While several youth have been accommodated in the ministry with a view to infuse new blood, old hands like Ranendra Pratap Swain, Padmanabha Behera and Arun Sahoo have been favoured again to bring in experience. Scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and OBC considerations have also played their part in formation of the new new ministry, party sources added.